October - December 2012 - Jim Pivarnik, Ph.D

By: Jim Pivarnik, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Kinesiology and Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Michigan State University and Member of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition’s Science Board

A recent study in Pediatrics by Eisenberg et al. indicates that adolescent boys and girls self-report a number of "muscle-enhancing" behaviors. The authors cautioned that some of the behaviors, particularly those related to diet and steroid use are particularly troubling

Having studied physical activity during pregnancy for over 25 years, I am amazed at how far we have progressed. When I began to research this area in the late 1980's, information was scarce, and recommendations were very conservative. This only makes sense, as "first do no harm" is even more important than normal when you are talking about protecting the maternal-fetal unit.